Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos
These homemade freezer beef and bean burritos are full of fantastic flavor and they are great to have on hand for a quick, homemade microwaveable meal.
I kind of feel like I’ve been holding out on you guys.
These amazing burritos have been gracing our freezer (and filling our tummies) for months now and I’m sorry that I’m just now getting around to sharing them with you.
I’ve made them dozens of times in the last few months and along with these fabulous bean burritos, they’ve been our staple on hectic dinner nights or when Brian needs to grab a quick lunch for work or when the kids and I are sick of eating PB&J at noon.
That’s the beauty of having them in the freezer just waiting to be warmed up for our eating pleasure.
The thing is, they aren’t just a burrito.
Well, I mean, they are a burrito, but they aren’t your average, every day burrito.
The flavor in these wrapped beauties is fantastic. You get the traditional smoky flavor from the cumin and chili but a bit of unexpected freshness from the lime juice.
There are some mashed beans, whole beans, rice and cheese right there along with the meat, and the entire burrito, in my humble opinion, is screaming burrito perfection.
We were overjoyed with the deliciousness of these burritos the first time we had them. And I can happily report that we still haven’t gotten sick of them months later.
In fact, it’s always a bit funny to me when Brian eats one for lunch or whenever and he’s oohing and aahing over the flavor and I’m looking at him quizzically, saying, “you know these are the same burritos you’ve been eating for weeks now” and he’s like, “Yeah, but man, they are so good.”
Glad he likes them since they’ll be stocking our freezer for the forseeable future. Make some why don’t you!
What to Serve With This
- Homemade Refried Beans {Slow Cooker}
- Green salad, or My Favorite Coleslaw
- Fresh, seasonal fruit
One Year Ago: Peach-Orange Smoothie
Two Years Ago: Chocolate-Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
Three Years Ago: Cheesesteak Subs – Quick and Tasty!
Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos
Ingredients
Rice:
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup long grain white rice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
Filling:
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 12 ounces extra lean ground beef or lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 6-8 10-inch flour tortillas, white or wheat
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 6 tablespoons sour cream, light or regular
Instructions
- For the rice, bring the broth, rice, garlic, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 16-18 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat, keeping it covered, and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. When ready to use, add the cilantro and fluff with a fork.
- For the filling, combine the broth and half of the beans in a small bowl and mash with a fork until the beans are coarsely mashed with the broth (reserve the whole beans for later). In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil until hot and rippling. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano and chili powder and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes, breaking the meat into small pieces while cooking. Drain any excess grease if needed.
- Stir the mashed bean mixture into the meat mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is thick and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the rest of the whole beans, lime juice and salt. Remove from heat. If serving immediately, follow the instructions in the next paragraph. If freezing for later, let the beef and bean mixture and the rice cool to warm room temperature before proceeding.
- Wrap the tortillas in between damp paper towels and microwave until the tortillas are soft, about 1 minute. Arrange the tortillas on the counter and divide the rice, beef and bean filling and cheese evenly among the tortillas. Dollop each tortilla with a tablespoon (more or less) of sour cream. Fold the sides of the tortilla toward each other over the filling while lifting the bottom edge over, rolling into a burrito shape. Serve immediately (if desired).
- For freezer burritos, wrap each burrito in plastic wrap. Place burritos in a gallon-sized freezer ziploc bag. To reheat, unwrap the burrito from the plastic wrap and place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 1-2 minutes. Poke the burrito with the tines of a fork all over and continue microwaving in 30-second increments until heated through.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country April/May 2013
Think these could be frozen in a disposable casserole dish? I’m in a freezer club and would be preparing this for a dinner meal rather than an on-the-go meal.
Yes, I think so!
I made these, and they were fantastic! They were awesome for freezing, too! Next time I make them, I will have to double the recipe.
I made these last night and they were a huge success! A few were eaten hot and fresh and the rest went in the freezer, and they were requested to be heated up for this morning for breakfast! I used lean ground turkey cooked down for slightly longer with the tomato paste and some extra spices, and the rest was as the recipe directed- absolutely delicious! I got 8 packed burritos out of this, after all my bites along the way. I’m used to black beans with my burritos but the pinto beans were perfect in this recipe, well done.
These are excellent. Ate some immediately to see if we liked them and the rest were bagged up for future dinner. Even the super picky boy ate them!
Hi Mel!
I cooked these too late at night and didn’t let them cool down before freezing. When heating in the microwave, the tortilla becomes hard as a rock and I have to throw it away. I started cooking it for 2 minutes (because I used huge tortillas, therefore these burritos are huge), flipped, then cooked for a minute. Can’t even cut through them. Is it because I didn’t let them cool, they’re too big and I cooked them too long or bc I didn’t puncture them with a fork? I made so many and I don’t want them to go to waste!
Hi Dawn, I’m not really sure if not letting them cool might be the culprit. Try poking them with a fork and cooking on 60% or 70% power in the microwave instead of at full strength.
These were so tasty! We made them and ate them right away. My one suggestion would be to put them in the oven for a bit. Even though all of the components of the burrito were hot when they were assembled, they cooled down during the process and could have been warmer for my liking. Thank you for posting such a great recipe!
Hi Mel! I’m on the hunt for lunch recipes for our homeschool days and these look perfect for us. One question, how long to reheat them in the oven, from frozen? We do not own a microwave. Thank you.
About 25 minutes at 300 degrees.
Do you have suggestions for substitutes for cilantro? My husband is allergic and I just feel like we always miss out on so much flavor when I leave it out 🙁
I think parsley is a good substitute (obviously a different flavor, but it helps give a pop of freshness)
*Updated from my last comment about whether or not I could use gluten free tortillas and I’m happy to say they work GREAT! My family loves these and I froze a bunch to send with with my kids to school (it’s so difficult to find EASY gf lunches to send with my kids!). I also made some without the meat for my vegetarian kid.
I just made this recipe today, and I have to say it was Awesome! The only difference I used my instant pot to cook the rice and used the pot in pot method. I cannot cook rice on the stovetop. I used 1 cup broth, 1 clove garlic 3 4 cup rice rinsed and scant a 1/4 cup cilantro and 1/2 tsp salt. I put 1 1/2 cups water in the bottom of instant pot pot, then the rack. Set my rice dish on top, sealed, cooked 8 minutes, then natural a l release for 10 minutes.
Do you think these could work with gluten free tortillas?
I think that would work great!
These were delicious! I generally hate it when people critique a recipe based upon their own modifications. I only want to say that because my 15 year old boy has radar for anything green in color (automatically doesn’t like it), I omitted the cilantro from the rice. To make up for the missing zippy flavor, I liberally sprinkled Ancho chile seasoning from Sam’s Club (it is spicy hot!) into the meat mixture, in addition to the exact recipe ingredients. Also – the lime juice added a perfect flavor, don’t skip it! My 15 year old and 20 year old both loved these!!
Can these be made with just beans, beef, and cheese?
Sure!
Made these a couple weeks ago and LOVED them! My husband is about to leave for training for five weeks. I’m making a quadruple recipe tomorrow so that I’m prepared to feed my little troops a quick delicious meal on the extra hard days while he’s gone. 😀 Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I plan on making a double batch to freeze for my burrito-lovin’ son but have a quick question: Is the dollop of sour cream omitted if planning on freezing the burritos? If included, how does it hold up once thawed? (As a 2-year newbie to your site, I just love poring over older recipes I missed out on…so many good finds!)
I add it and then freeze and it thaws and reheats very well!
Thanks Mel! I think these will be a hit with my boys during their Thanksgiving break from college….they’ll get the homemade food they’re craving and I get a break from the kitchen!
Just made and stocked my freezer with these. How long have they lasted in the freezer for you?
If they are well wrapped, they can last for a month or so.
Can ketchup be substituted for the tomato paste in this recipe? thank you
It would make the burritos a little sweeter but you could try it.
Oh man. I just prepared these for the freezer before reading the comments. My due date is in 5 weeks, I hope they keep in the freezer u till after the baby is born.
Will wrapping in foil make them keep longer or should it be plastic wrap either way?
They’ll be just fine!
Oops this was meant as a reply to the above comment re: the burritos lasting about a month .
These are AMAZING!!! I got lazy and didn’t make the rice the way you did; just plain old rice and it was still delicious. I will try the seasoned rice next time! Thanks for another winner!
A Perfectly quick dinner option after hefting long journey! Sounds and looks amazing in pictures. ‘freezer burritos’ my first fast recipe. Thanks!
Direct quote from my husband last night: “That was the best burrito I’ve ever had.” Trust me. My husband know his burritos. Thanks Mel!!!’
BEST. BURRITOS. EVER.
These are so delicious! None of them made it to the freezer.
These are seriously the best thing ever. I look forward to not having dinner plans so I can pull one out of the freezer and enjoy it!
We love these! Everything about them, really! I just made a double batch tonight so we could have some for dinner and then freeze a whole bunch for meals after my 4th baby is born in the next week. Love your food Mel!
Could you do these with shredded chicken? My husband likes the store bought ones with chicken and beans, but they aren’t that great to me. These would be a great alternative!
Sure!
I’m wondering if these are okay without beef and if you or anyone has ever done them with cooked eggs. Hoping they’re still good without the beef.
I haven’t tried it but I think it’s a pretty flexible recipe.
I made these today to put in the freezer. We went to a movie and came home. I couldn’t wait to pull one out and try it. My husband and I LOVED them!! Great recipe. Thank you!
ummm help?!
What is the reason you individually wrap the burritos??? I made these yesterday and totally forgot to individually wrap them. They are in gallon size freezer bags. (6 in each) Should I get them out and wrap them now? Or just do better next time? (I made 30)
sorry I forgot to check the notify me box 🙂
They should be fine, Celinda – I just wrap them so Brian can take them easily for lunch.
Just made the burritos. I didn’t have tomato paste and substituted a can of tomatoes with green chilies. They were delicious and a great value
Mel, I came across your website while searching for a flat bread recipe and fell in love with several recipes. These burritos are a delight, my husband and I loved it so much that we both had two each 😉
I also made your Sloppy Joe’s and the Lemon Bread, all so delicious that you are now my go to place for recipes. I also recommend your page to all of my friends who are looking for good, reliable and tasty recipes. Thank you so much!!!
Thanks, Juliana – so happy to hear you are enjoying the recipes!
Just made these last and had one today–oh my! I am wishing it wouldn’t be wrong to have another! Added a bit of homemade guac on top. Yummy!
These were very yummy! We enjoyed them for lunch today after having froze them. Really hit the spot.
Making these right now and they look (and smell!) amazing! Can’t wait to try them out on my family. The hubby doesn’t like rice, so we will see if I snuck it in well enough 😉
Made these burritos for the third time and figured out the rice problem! I wasn’t letting my rice (covered) simmer at a high enough temperature. This time it was simmering pretty vigorously (maybe like a low-medium heat?) and by 20 minutes the liquid was gone and the rice was just right.
Make these burritos! You will LOVE them.
These are great! I really wanted to freeze some and may still, but we’ve enjoyed them enough it looks like they may be all gone before that happens. Thanks!!
Thanks Piper!! 🙂
I scrolled through the comments to see if anyone else had this dilemma. I guess I’m special. (; I have made these burritos twice now and they are AWESOME. They get devoured before they even have a chance to be frozen. I followed the recipe to a ‘T’, but both times I have had trouble with my rice. The first time it was crunchy, which was a little distracting to the burrito’s delicious flavors, so the second time I checked the rice after about 20 minutes and it was still crunchy. I kept cooking and cooking and cooking. Finally after what felt like an hour, I had tender rice, but by that time it was really gummy. Anyways, still an amazing burrito, but I wonder how good it would be if I could figure out how to cook rice? (: I even let it boil a little longer before reducing the temperature and covering.
I was just coming to leave a comment on how awesome these are and I saw Nicole’s question! Nicole- we also use the uncooked tortillas and they are on the smaller side. It works perfectly for our family, though, because the smaller ones are a perfect size for my daughter and I like eating a smaller one for lunch. If my husband is really hungry he just heats up two of them. I get about twice as many burritos out of a batch using the smaller tortillas. They are the best!
Nicole – sounds like Piper has you covered! Thanks for chiming in, Piper!
Hi Mel – quick question on tortillas. We are a little finicky when it comes to tortillas. We usually buy the uncooked ones or the ones made by our local grocery store. But the ones at our local grocery store are probably too small for burritos. So. Do you think the uncooked variety will work ok and freeze ok or do you have a favorite tortilla brand you use? Thanks 🙂
Hi Mel ive been following your blog and finally decided to make these this weekend I doubled the recipe and made about 20 so my husband can eat them after his workouts and he loves them!!!! I haven’t tried them yet but if he likes them I’m sure I will too. Thanks for all the awesome recipes!
I used the TortillaLand uncooked tortillas from Costco or most grocery stores- they are way better than any other store bought tortilla I’ve tried. The shells are smaller- I made a double batch of meat/rice and got about 24 burritos. I was skeptical that they’d be amazing after being frozen/reheated but I stand corrected- they are amazing! I made them during a ‘stock the freezer’ cooking spree in preparation for baby #2 and now we’re about two weeks away from meeting baby and I’m making another double batch tonight since we’ve already ate all the others! My husband even did the ‘man, these are good’ when he was eating them weeks later. The only downside was the ends of the burrito would get a little hard/dried out during the reheating so we started putting a damp paper towel over it while reheating and they come out perfect!
These were so yummy. The whole family from my 2 year old grand daughter to my 50 year old husband all loved them. It took a few trys to get the filling to tortilla ratio correct but by the time I was done they looked pretty good. I’m so excited to have a bag full of deliciousness in my freezer. I used the uncooked tortillas from Walmart and they were great. Thanks Mel. You bring great food to my table all the time!
Mel-
Could these be heated in a casserole dish in the oven? How hot and long would you do that? Also would they be good to drizzle green enchilada sauce over them for a smothered burrito?
Cris – sure, I think that would work. If they have just been made (and aren’t frozen), I’d heat them for 20 minutes or so at 350 degrees. If they are frozen, I’d probably cover the casserole dish, bake at 325 for an hour then uncover and bake until heated through (maybe another 30 minutes or so?). You’d probably want to recover the dish if the tops are getting too crispy.
I made these awhile ago and was so sad to discover the other day that I was eating the last one out of the freezer! These are so tasty & so easy to grab one on the way out the door to work after getting three kiddos ready for their day. Thanks for another great recipe!
P.S. For the tortillas, I use the raw ones from the cold section at Wal-Mart or Costco… They’re so easy to warm up real quick and they are soooo yummy and fresh. Unfortunately not all Wal-Marts carry them. Thank you again, Mel!
Made these last night and my family loved them… even my picky eaters! Made it into a double batch and put a bunch in the freezer. These are perfect to just grab and go… Baby #5 is coming in a couple of weeks. THANK YOU!! Just heard about this blog from a friend and I’m already hooked. Thanks again!
I made these tonight and they were wonderful – the whole family loved them! I always love having quick homemade meals to pull out of my freezer! Thanks for another great recipe! What would I do without you?!
I have already made these twice since you posted! My husband will take them to work and we’ve even sent some extras for his friends at work. What a fabulous recipe! We’ve gone through them too fast to actually freeze any, but one day I hope to freeze some and have them on hand. I have really enjoyed the burritos loaded with fresh cilantro! Thank you, Thank you!
I’m so impressed with the flavor of these simple burritos…they taste so fresh even after being frozen! With some chips and salsa, one was enough for me for a very satisfying lunch. I’m sure my “boys” home from college will eat two for sure at any given time hunger strikes. So nice to have these in the freezer for everyone to serve themselves.
Thanks so much for the freezer tips…that is extremely helpful!!!
Made these last week and they are soooo good! Makes me feel good to know what my kids are actually eating! Thanks again Mel!
I just made a double batch of these to have on hand as we approach the busy fall season. I ate one before freezing the rest, and they are phenomenal!! The most flavorful burrito I’ve ever had! 🙂 The only change I made was to substitute Minute Brown Rice for the white. Two cups of that (dry) was a perfect amount for a double batch, so if anyone’s looking to make that substitution, I’d use a cup per batch. Thanks for sharing this one!!